Neuqua Volleyball Team Learns About Itself At Wheaton

WHEATON – Neuqua Valley's girls volleyball team entered this weekend's Wheaton Classic a sparkling 8-0.

But coach Kelly Simon knew that her team had not been tournament tested yet. The Wildcats are now, after going 3-2 and finishing 11th in the 24-team field.

Despite falling from the ranks of the unbeaten, Simon was pleased with her team's performance.

"I think the girls finally broke through," Simon said. "I've been talking to them about what a solid team they are. They're one of the best teams I've ever coached. I think they feel that pressure because of those expectations, but (Saturday), we finally felt that comfort level playing like we're capable of playing."

Simon pointed in particular to the play of her libero, Megan Tompkins. In the five tournament matches, Tompkins led the Wildcats with 59 digs.

"She was absolutely phenomenal," Simon said. "She stepped into the shoes that we expect of her. That's the player we expect her to be. She was just rock-solid, which is what you need from a libero. She's always had that capability, but I think she realizes now that's the expectation."

The tournament didn't go off completely without a hitch, however. Neuqua Valley had to adapt to the loss of setter Stacy Cesario after an asthma attack midway through Saturday's second match of three against Sandburg, forcing the Wildcats into scramble mode. New setter Christine Cichon had to step in and Neuqua had to adjust its playing style on the fly, switching to a 5-1 alignment that they had not played yet this season.

That didn't seem to slow the Wildcats down, however, as Neuqua pulled together for a 25-17, 25-15 win over Plainfield North to finish off the tournament.

"It was very difficult," Tompkins said. "We weren't expecting that. You never expect that. Our other setter stepped up and it led the team to a victory. The team stepped up and showed what we can do."

The Wildcats enter this week at 11-2 and look forward to heading to Waubonsie Valley for the Warrior Blast next weekend. They also know a little bit more about themselves after running though the gauntlet at Wheaton Warrenville South.

"We learned that there is good competition out there and we have to prove to ourselves that we can play to that competition," Tompkins said. "We had some down games and we really had to prove to ourselves that we could get on top and beat teams. We learned from our mistakes from the teams we lost to and proved that we can still compete in this tournament."